Obamacare's signup deadline approaches tonight; what you need to know

Monday marks the end (well, technically speaking) of a hectic six-month scramble to sign people up for health coverage under Obamacare.

As of Thursday, 6 million people nationwide had chosen health plans through federal and state insurance exchanges. California, which accounts for more than 20 percent of those enrollments, has been among a handful of states leading the way; the state insurance exchange signed up 80,000 people in the previous four days alone. In Orange County, sign-ups as of late February were already double expectations for the full six-month enrollment period.

But the going has not been easy for Covered California, the state exchange. It has fallen short of its goal for signing up Latinos and young people, two key target groups that comprise a very sizable chunk of the state’s uninsured population. There have also been numerous logistical and technological road bumps, and some serious bottlenecks in processing insurance applications.

Last December, as the deadline for Jan. 1 coverage approached, Covered California’s website and call center were so overwhelmed that the exchange was forced to extend the sign-up deadline almost to the end of the month.

Monday’s deadline, presumably the final one, also got squishy last week. Covered California said Wednesday that March 31 is now only the deadline for beginning the enrollment process. If you start an application no later than 11:59 p.m. Monday, you will have until the same time on April 15 to complete it and choose a health plan that takes effect May 1.

Of course, April 15 may still not be the final deadline, given the potential for more problems.

“We’re taking it one day at a time here,” Covered California Director Peter Lee said.

Here is some information to help navigate the next few weeks and months.

Q. I haven’t signed up yet; why now?

A. If you don’t start your application by Monday and complete enrollment in a health plan by April 15 – assuming no further deadline extensions – you will not be able to get coverage for the remainder of 2014. And you will be liable for a tax penalty equal to $95 or 1 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater.

The penalty for uncovered children this year is $47.50, and the maximum per family is $285.

Those numbers will rise sharply in 2015 and 2016. Also, of course, without coverage you’d be on the hook for full freight if you got sick, broke your leg or worse.

Q. How do I start an application?

A. On the website, coveredca.com, you would start by clicking the “Apply Now” button and setting up an online account. Once you have set up your account, and clicked “Continue” from the “Overview” page, you need to go to the “Apply for Benefits” page and fill in all required information and then click “Continue.” This will take you to a “Consent for Verification” page, where you need to click “Save & Exit” or “Continue.”

If you follow those steps, you will have started your application and will then have until April 15 to complete it.

You can also download and fill out a paper application and mail it to Covered California postmarked no later than March 31.

But Covered California is strongly recommending that at this late date people consider getting in-person assistance with their health care applications from trained people who may stand a better chance of smoothing out potential road bumps.

For help filling out an application without paying a fee, you can go see a Covered California-designated enrollment counselor, an insurance agent certified to do business with the exchange, or the OC Social Services Agency.

Q. How can I find this kind of help near me?

A. On the home page of Covered California’s website, click on “find local help.” That will take you to a page that allows you to find enrollment counselors, insurance agents and the local county human services agency near you.

You can also call Covered California’s help line to get this information, at 800-300-1506.

But be prepared to wait on hold for quite awhile. Covered California said its phone lines will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Monday.

Q. If I enroll in a health plan by April 15, when is my first month’s premium due?

A. Covered California says the premium is due April 25. But given the extension and the high probability of bottlenecks in processing the applications, you should check on that with the insurer you have selected. In any event, you are supposed to receive a bill for the premium, and it should show the due date. There may also be online payment options.

Q. Are there any exceptions to the penalty for not having insurance this year?

A. Yes, plenty. A number of “hardship exemptions” exonerate people from paying the penalty. They include things like financial stress, being a victim of domestic violence, recent loss of or eviction from your home, inability to pay medical bills, death of a loved one, a utility shutoff notice or homelessness.

You are also exempted from the penalty if your old health plan was canceled at the end of last year because it did not comply with the new coverage regulations of Obamacare. If your plan was canceled, you can also buy a barebones “catastrophic” policy, which is normally reserved for people under 30. And you can keep it at least until 2017.

In addition, certain life events can exempt people from the March 31/April 15 deadlines and allow them to enroll in coverage any time during the year. These include: getting married, having a baby or adopting a child, moving to another region or state, losing employer-provided health coverage, and a change in income that materially impacts eligibility for federal tax credits to help pay for insurance.

Q. If I don’t qualify for one of these exemptions and do not buy coverage, will I get another chance?

A. Yes, but not until the next enrollment period, which will start Nov. 15 and end three months later, for coverage that wouldn’t begin until 2015.

Q. If I want to buy a health plan for myself or my family, do I have to go through Covered California?

A. No. You can buy it outside of the exchange, though you can only get financial assistance – assuming your income makes you eligible – if you buy through Covered California.

If your income is too high to get a subsidy, there’s no reason not to comparison shop outside the exchange. However, you are not likely to find large variations, since Obamacare standardized a lot of health plan requirements – inside and outside the exchanges. Insurers also homogenized the plans to a large extent for the sake of administrative simplicity.

Even the enrollment deadline outside the exchange is the same as inside – or was, until Covered California announced the extension to April 15. California’s largest insurers are split on whether to follow that lead. Kaiser Permanente said it would extend the deadline for completing enrollment to April 15. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California said they wouldn’t. Health Net said it hadn’t decided.